Get More from Your Circular Saw

Step 8 Locking down the saw for a rip cut

I needed some way to hold the saw firmly in place while ripping. I drilled two holes at the back of the saw base and two holes at the front. Then I cut pieces of 1 x 2 and drilled them for dowels so the dowels would fit into the holes I had drilled in the saw base. One piece was made to fit the front of the saw base and one the rear. The face of the 1 x 2 rested against the vertical edge of the angle iron rail. A very small C clamp applied pressure to hold the 1 x 2 in place against the angle iron, which held the saw down, too. I would have included a photo, but the original pieces have been lost in two household moves.